Executive Interview with Tru Pettigrew

TRU PETTIGREW

Senior Vice President at Octagon 

Mr. Pettigrew is the Senior Vice President at Octagon where he leads the urban lifestyle and multicultural marketing division. This group was formed to offer Fortune 500 companies, as well as boutique brands, strategic marketing solutions and creative lifestyle using their unique knowledge and deep understanding of today’s urban and multicultural consumer. Whether he’s engaging with consumers to gain valuable insights or educating Fortune 500 clients on consumer motivations, Tru provides an accurate reflection of today’s multicultural world.

For the past decade, Tru has been recognized as a respected authority on the urban lifestyle, multicultural marketing industry, is an exceptional presenter on this influential and emerging market, and has led innovative campaigns for high-profile clients such as Reebok, Nike, and Ford to name a few. Mr. Pettigrew has also appeared on CNN, CBS Marketwatch, NBC News, and has been featured in prominent publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, the Boston Globe, Fast Company and Fortune Magazine. For this month’s executive interview on leadership, please welcome Tru Pettigrew!

Every generation has a set of leaders that define that generation.  Based on your experience with this emerging generation in urban America, what specific individuals do you believe exemplify what it means to be an effective leader with this specific demographic?

They are obviously not “emerging” but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge our President Barack Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama as two of the most influential and impactful leaders we have seen in recent generations overall. But specific to urban America, which I will address as it relates to emerging leaders most influential to the multicultural mainstream of the millennial generation, I would say Aaraon Arnold (CEO of Music is My Business), Tiffany R. Wareen (SVP/CDO Omnicom Group & Founder of ADColor), and Steve Pearson (Manager IBM corporate Affairs).

Based on your research of this emerging generation in America, what do you believe will be their biggest challenge in the next 5-10 years?

I believe one of the biggest challenges for the emerging generation will be implementing programs, campaigns and initiatives that still require buy-in and approval from decision makers who still view the market place through ethnic and/or cultural segmentation. The emerging generation is a more diverse and inclusive generation and they approach solutions through a more holistic and total market view which inherently is more inclusive of diverse cultures, lifestyles interests and backgrounds. It will be a challenge to bridge that gap and way of thinking. Many of their predecessors are comfortable with and accustomed to segmenting, separating and segregating. It’s like going from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

If you had the responsibility to develop these next set of leaders in America for the future problems discussed in the previous question, what specific leadership skills do you believe are most important for these emerging leaders to develop in the 21^st Century in order to overcome these challenges?

That’s easy and will always be the same in my opinion. The Five C’s of Leadership which are Competence, Confidence, Commitment, Consistency, and Concern.

Are there any special “secrets” which have enabled you to succeed as a leader in your area of expertise that many colleges may not teach student leaders?

I don’t know how much of a secret it is, but I believe understanding the importance of service is critical to being an effective leader. As a leader, you are ultimately a servant. It is your responsibility to establish a vision which is in the best interest of the group, team or organization. Set goals and objectives to achieve that vision. And then leverage the gifts and talents of the team to ensure that everyone wins. You are ultimately responsible for inspiring and empowering each individual to win in their specific role, task or discipline so that the team wins as a whole. That is best accomplished when you view your leadership position from a service perspective.

You have been very successful in your career.  What personal values have enabled you to succeed as a mentor and leader within your professional area of expertise?

When thinking of values that have helped me to succeed, I would say my faith first and foremost. Without being in a meaningful relationship with God, nothing that has been accomplished through me would be possible. I would also include integrity, honesty, and work ethic as important values that have contributed to my success. Along with the five C’s of leadership listed above of course!

You have a strong passion for developing powerful men of the 21^st Century.  Based on your personal experience and work, what are some specific things that leaders can do in order develop these types of men in our communities and nation?

One of the things that I have been blessed to have stewardship over is an initiative that me and a few other men have in place called Rap Sessions and Barbershop Rap Sessions. They are essentially forums where men come together to discuss topics and issues that affect men. We then share experiences and solutions with one another to equip and empower each other with the insight and information necessary to overcome various challenges and become the leaders we were intended to be. (Iron sharpening Iron). So to answer the question we need talk to one another more; men don’t talk. We need to share our experiences with one another and uplift and edify more versus cut down and condemn. We need to hold each other accountable but not judge. It’s all about inspiring and empowering through our words AND our actions.

If one of our future leaders was interested in interning or working with you, what specific skills should they bring to the table?

 Strong written and verbal communication skills, Savvy in DSM (Digital, Social & Mobile) and great client service skills.

What is one final word of advice that you would like to leave people with who desire to reach their fullest potential in life and become effective leaders in the 21^st Century?

My final word of advice to help people reach their fullest potential is to put God first. Additionally, this will help you to identify your calling/purpose. Once you have identified your purpose, I encourage you to walk in your purpose. We all have God given gifts and talents and the gifts we were given are in the areas where we were supposed to serve.  And when we pursue careers in the areas in which we are gifted, then we will obviously excel in that discipline and those are typically things we like to do. So when we do what we like – we like what we do! Put God first and walk in your purpose!